Bending machine



`une 9, 1925.

C. S. CRANE BENDING MACHINE INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Jue 9, 1925.

C. S. CRANE `BENDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DG, 27. 1923 I N VEN TOR.

' ATTORNEYS.

C. S. CRANE BENDING MACHINE June 9, 1925.

s sheets-sheet s MCM Fate-ated dune 9, i925.

tenen learner orties.

UNITE@ STATES CLARENCE S. CRANE, F GHAMPAIGN, LLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EUGENE BURKE, OF CHAMPAGN, ILLINOIS. I

' BENDING MACHINE.

Application filed December 27', 1923, Serial No. 682,901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE S. CRANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Champaign, in the county of Champaign and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bending Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rlhis invention relates to bending machines, and particularly to those for imparting one or more bends to a. strip of material. Such a machine has great utility in the bending of strips of reinforcing material into the proper form or shape for the reinforcement of concrete stairs. An object of the invention is to provide an improved machine for this purpose, which will perform the desired bending operations'on strips of material in a rapid and satisfactory manner, and which is simple, durable, and relatively inexpensive. Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in claims.

lin the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, with the parts in different relative operative position; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the machine on a slightly larger scale, the parts being in the relative positions shown in l? ig. 2.

ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a suitable frame composed of vertical posts 1 and horizontal connecting bars 2 is mounted upon skids or runners 3, by means of which the machine may be drawn from one job to another. A sill 4 is disposed crosswise of the interior of the frame adjacent one end, and is mounted in the frame for rotation about a horizontal axis The sides of the frames are each provided with parallel spaced posts 5 at the ends of the sill 4, and a clamping gate member 6 extends across the interior of the frame and is slidably disposed between the pairs of posts 5 at opposite sides of the frame. T ie clamping gate member is capable of vertical sliding movement between the posts 5 so as to be movable into and out of clamping engagement with the all @ne side Qt a vertical plane through the axis of rotation of the sill. The gate member is composed of upper and lower sections, the lower section 6a being hinged at 7 to the lower edge of the Lipper section so as to be capable of swinging upwardly and away from the sill 4. rThe upper section of the clamping gate is secured in any suitable manner, such as by bolts 8 to intermediate portions of clamping levers 9 which extend lengthwise of the frame, the levers being pivoted at 10 to the forward posts 1 of the frame.

Apair of rocker arms 11 are hinged upon a. rod 12 extending between the opposite sides of the frame, the rod 12 being mounted adjacent to but slightly below an overhanging portion of the sill 4. A plate 13 vis secured to each rocker arm 11 by means of bolts 14, which pass through apertures in the plates 13 and through slots 15 in the rocker arms. The slots are elongated lengthwise of the rocker arms so that when thel bolts 14 are loosened, the plates 13 may be adjusted lengthwise along the rocker arms for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. lVhen the bolts are tightened, the plates 13 will be securely clamped in their adjusted positions. Each plate 13 is provided with an upstanding ear 16 to serve as an element of a hinge Lconnecting it with a platform which will now be explained.

The platform comprises side bars 17 which are connected by end bars 18, the end bars 18 being connected by longitudinally extending slats 19 which form the upper surface of the platform. Bars 20 are secured by connecting strips 21 and 22, to the side bars 17 of the platform in an inclined relation thereto, so that the bars 20 form with the platform a rigid auxiliary fra-me. The bars 2O are hinged at 23 to the ears 16 of the plates 13 so that the platform will be hingedly or articulately connected through plates 13 to the rocker arms 11. A cross beam 24 extends between the side bars 20 of the auxil# iary frame of the platform, and is provided with a downwardly extending plate 25 which terminates at a level slightly above the upper surface of the slats 19 and may be referred to as a guide.

The rocker arms 11 are connected to one another by a cross plate 26 which terminates in a shoulder 27 along its forward or front edge at apprexmately the hing@ pin l2? sov about the pin 12 and allow the sill 4 to? swing .1v

downwardly to a slight extent, as shown also in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

A pair of cables 28 are attached to the rearv ends of the sidelbars 17 of the platform,

and extend upwardly'over vpulleys 29 car-" ried by the lupper''frame''members 2 and thence downwardly to thev forward end' of the 'frame'r where"they 'are wound-*around the drum 1ofa "win'dlass 30; A yhand wheel Bl'is connected'to thewindla'ss for operating4 the same to wind Vup or release the' cables 28'." Suitable^ means, not' shown', may lbe provided'forsecuringthe handwheel 3l in various "adjusted 'angular positions.

Additional cables'32 are also'secured to the-side bars 17 ofthe platform and extend upwardly over'pulleys Scarried v'by the rear en'd's of the 'clamping #levers "9 and thence forwardly and around'tlie drum of. a 'windla"s's"`34l which is rotatably supported be# tweeiith'e forward en'd corner posts l ofthe fram'e." A"hand wheel"35=is securedto the windlass for 'enabling .its manual operation in either*direction,v and suitable securingl meansynot shWn, may' be provided forholding it different adjusted' angular positions.A Otliercables"36 are attached to the rear endof tlieclampinglevers 9, extend upwar'dlywandjoveifpulleysr 37 carried by the said ,frame"members 2," and then downwardly, carryingfat' their lower ends suitable counterwi'ghts CablesL 39 ares'ecured'ito the 'fre'e'ends of the rocker arms 1l and extenddownwardly, endwise, `and forwardly," passing 'beneath rllers "40 vp rovidedat the foru'fa'rd :ends 'of the' 'runners' andv thence'to' asuitable opi erating device `(not"`show'n).`V Othercables 41 are'als'oattached'tothefree ends of the rocker'aiiisl'll, pass upwardly over pulleys 42 carried bythe side members of the'fra'me, thencedownwardly around pulleys 43 'care ried by the runners '3, and 'thenc'e'forwardly and endwise'of the .frme to'suitable' operatingidevices. The ground' beneath the iframe oi' machine may lie excavated'as'at 44, so 'as to provide a clearance-for the rocker arms ll whentheyare swung'downwardly.for a purpose to be explained presently;

the operation'of-'themachind the strip of 2material 45,v w'l'iich-.isl to be bent, is passed overthe platform endwise'"tl1ereof, beneath the plate or nose 25 of the cross beam24, and then ove'rthesill4 beneath the clamping'gate' 'Gf lllhen" the" forward end 'of 1 the strip45 isat the-'desiredldistance from the oteiliangi'ng edge ofthe'sill` 4, the hand larbends" therein, and to 'bendthe st'ripaijgrVV to the position wheel 35 is operated to wind up the cables 32, which in shortening .will pull the clamping lever 9 toward the platform. During this movement, the clamping levers will depress the clamping `gate into clamping engagementwvith the sill 4 and effectively secure the strip 45 against displacement relatively thereto. The operating,` device which is connected to the cables 39 is then operated so as tol draw up the cables 39, the cables 4l being free, and this operation causes a downward and forward' movement of the rocker arms 11.

Tliefrocker afms in -moving downwardly wi'llfcarry*downwardly the forward-end of tlieplatform, an'd'during this movement operators at the. hand wheels Sland 35'will operate the wheels to release thecables 28 and slightly and allow the rear end ofthe platform lto `lower in accordance with the downward' movement i ofthe forward endof the platform. The platform will, therefore, move Athrou, 'g;h approximately parallel positions as the'rocler rarms movefdownwardly and' forwardly. The nose'of the' cross vplate 25', which vacts asa guide for1v confining-the strip`45 aoains't'the faceof ftheplatform, will depress the 'strip and bend it over the rear edge of the sill'4, andthe platform lwill bend the'strip about thenose of the cross plate -25' sothat when'the platform== and rocker arms'have moved into--a step-like--frelation with the sill"4,su"ch as shown inFig. 2, the strip l45 will havebeen given a double bend Iwith resulting step-like form.-

During,` the downward movement of the rocher arms 1l, the'downward'movement of the "shoulder or edgey27 of 'the' cross plate 28, asY shown' in Fig: 3, will permitfaslight downward.swinging movement of the-sill 4 l upon-the side of'its pivot adjacent the p latform: The platform in moving: downwardlywilliact through the cables 82 to depressH furtl'ier `.the clamping levers 9 and force the 'clamping'gate to follow the'sill 4 in its downwardly swingimgjV movement without releasing thestrip 45.5:

' Inorder vto bend'th'e'stripl into right angli-is, themachine must first bendit'slightly beyond'tthe'desiredfextent, as the strip -will spring baclC'sl-ightly whenreleased Unless the edgeofthe sill,-ove'r which the stri-p is bent is lowered slightly, the n'iachine could not bend ithe strip beyond `rightangles becausethe travel ofithe nose1'25 of the platform is not concentric aboutthe edgeof the sill over which the strip'ishbent, and therefore' 'movement of theifnose' 25 -beyondf the lower 90O position' would cause astretching ofthe strip between ben'dstundessthe edge of the sill "is loweredV proportionately. By lowering the'y bending-j edge of the sill in thisnianner1it"is possible to bend "the strips intofZshapes as wellas to'pl'ace right-angu- JIA enough to compensate for the return spring action of the strip when released after being bent.

After this bending operation has been completed, the operator will release the hand wheel 35, and the slack provided in the cables 32 will enable the counterweight 38to elevate the clamping levers 9 and thus release the clamping gate. The lower section 6a of the clamping gate may then be yswung laterally and upwardly, such as to the rearl into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, which releases the strip 45. The cables ll may be drawn to return the rocker arms ll and the platform to their approximately horizontal positions, during which movement the strip l5 with the bend therein will be carried upwardly. During the return of the rocker arms, the cables 39 will, of course, be released, and the hand wheel 3l will be operated to elevate the rear end of the platform in accordance with the elevation of the forward end.

The strips l5 may tien be shifted forwardly until the point where a new bend is to be made, is over the sill 4t, this forward movement being permitted through the space available when the lower section of the clamping gate is swung upwardly. After the strip has again been position-ed over the sill et, the lower section of the clamping gate may be swung downwardly into alignment with the upper section, and the bending operation repeated as before explained.

lWith this device it will be obvious thatY the strip 4:5 may be passed forwardly through the machine, and the bends placed therein in a simple, accurate, and rapid manner. In the bending of the reinforcement for concrete steps and the like, the reinforcement commonly used is in the nature of a wire fabric, Similar to fencing, but it will be obvious that strips of Vother material may hav-e bends placed therein in a similar manner within the principle and scope of this invention. It will be obvious that various changes in the details and arrangement of parts, herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining t-he nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as lexpressed in the appended claims.

Claims:

l. In a bending machine, a pair of clamping elements between which the strip to be bent is fed and at intervals clamped therebetween, a pivoted rocker member along which the strip passes, a guide for said strip hingedly connected to said rocker member at a distance from the pivot of th-e latter, and means for operating said rocker member to carry the guide to one side of the plane of the clamped portion of the strip, whereby a bend will be placed in the strip.

2. In a bending machine, a pair of clamping elements between which the strip to be bent is fed and at intervals clamped therebetween, a bending shoulder over which the strip passes at one side of the clamping elements, a guide through which the strip passes at a distance from said shoulder, and means for swinging said guide to a position at one side ofthe plane of the strip between the shoulder and the'clamping elements, whereby a bend will be created in said strip.

3. In a bending machine, a plurality of members mounted to lie normally in substantially the same plane and relatively movable into a step-like relative position, means for clamping to one of said members the strip to be bent, and a guide element against which the strip passes carried by the other member and confining the strip to said mem-- ber, whereby when the strip is clamped to said one of the members and the members are moved intoV a relative step-like position, the strip will have a bend placed therein corresponding to the character of the steplike relation ofthe members.v

4. ln a bending machine, a frame, sill on said frame over which a strip is to be bent, a clamping device forI clamping` the strip against movement relatively to said sill, a platform for supporting the strip normally in substantially the planeet the sill and having a guide at the end thereof adjacent to but spaced from the sill, through which guide the strip passes, and means for causing a relative movement between said platform and sill into a step-like relation to one another, whereby the strip will be. given a step-like configuration.

5. rlhe machine substantially as set forth in claim lin which the guide is adjustable toward and from the sill in order to vary the distance between the bends of each step placed in the strip.

6. ln a bending machine, a frame, a sill on said frame over which a. strip is to be bent, a clamping devicefor clamping the strip against movement 'relatively to said sill, a pivoted rocker member'movable about its pivot into a position at an angle thereto, a platform against which the strip passes articulately connected to said member, said plat-form when the rocker member is parallel with the plane of said sill forming a substantial continuation of the sill, and having at the connected end a guide for confining the strip against the platform, means for rocking the member into a position at an angle to the sill, and means for supporting the platform, and permitting bodily movement with the member into a position at a desired angle thereto.

7. The machine substantially as set forth in claim 6 in which the connection between the platform and member is adjustable along he member whereby the distance between bends may be varied.

8. lin' a' bending machine,- a trame, a sill on the trame over which a strip is to bent, a clamping device for securing the strip against movement relatively to said sill, a pair ot' rocker arms pivoted to the frame below the sill for movement about an'aXis parallerv with the sill, plates secured to said arms and adjustable lengthwise thereof, a platform hinged between the plates and supported so as to torina substantial continuation ot the sill when the arms are approximately parallel to lthe sill, said plat-form having at its hinged end a bar extending thereover crosswise in spaced relation to the surface thereof for connning the strip t-o-` the plattorm, means for' rocking the arms into a position at ana-ngle to the sill.

9. ln a bending machine, a plurality of members mounted to lie normally in substantially the same plane and relatively movablel into a step-like relative position, means for securing a strip to be bent against movement relatively to one of said members, a guide carried by the other of said mem bers for confining the strip there'against, and means for producing relative movement between the members into a step-like relation with respect to one another, whereby the strip will be bent int-o a corresponding steplike form.

10. ln a bending machine, a pair of clamping elements between which the strip to be bent is ted and at intervals clamped therebetween, a bending shoulder over which the stripr passes at one side of the clamping elements, a guide through which the strip passes at a distance from said shoulder, and means for swinging said guide to a position at one side or" the plane o` the strip between the shoulder and the clamping elements, whereby a bend will be created in said strip, said shoulder being movable slightly toward the guide during the bending operation to permit ol the movement or' the guide in eX- cess of 90O from its starting position and thus bend the strip into a Z-shape l1. In a bending machine, a plurality of members mounted to lie normally in substantially the same -plane and relatively movable into a step-like relative position, means for clamping to one of said members the strip to be bent, and a guide against which the strip passes carried by the other member for confining the strip thereto, whereby when the strip is clamped to said one of the members and the members are moved into a relative step-lilte position, the strip will have a bend placed therein corresponding to the character ot the step-like relation of the members, said members having a slight approaching movement at the bending shoulders during movement into a step-like relation whereby the step-like relation may be Z-shapedl2. ln a bending machine, a trame, a sill pivotally mounted in said trame and having a shoulder at one side of and parallel to its pivoted axis over which a strip is to be bent, means for clamping the strip against movement relatively to said sill, a guide device xt0r said strip movable angularly about the bending shoulder ofthe sill to place a Z-shaped bend in the strip, and means normally holding the sill against tilting toward the axis ot angular movement of the guide device and permitting some tilting or' the sill during the bending operation as the Z- shape becomes more pronounced, whereby the bending shoulder may approach the guide device and allow angular movement of the guide device in excess of 90o from its initial position where it lies substantially in the plane olf the sill.

ln' witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my signature.

CLARENCE S. CRANE. 

